Mulder or Scully?

One of the aspects of life that makes it interesting, in my opinion, is how we are all different, slightly different beliefs and opinions mixed with a genetic cocktail that makes us who we are.

I attended a dinner party the other day, and as the hours flew past the conversation veered towards the unexplained, ghosts, aliens and such. It emerged that there were two different ‘camps’ present at the table:

Camp 1 that believed in the unexplained without necessarily needing scientific proof; and Camp 2, who said they required some proof before believing.

A kind of Mulder & Scully juxtaposition.

So who is ‘right’? Of course, they could both be right in their own way. What came first really, the chicken or the egg?
Camp 1 may perhaps find more wonder in the world, but be more gullible. Camp 2 may be more cynical, but less easily fooled. But then, some things we won’t be able to explain in our lifetimes, so why not just go for the ride?

If I pose the following scenario, what camp would you yourself belong in?

You’re friends with a person working at a military base. You’ve known this person for a number of years and find that they are a person with high morals and personal ethics. One evening the two of you meet in a bar in town to catch up over a few drinks. You get to the bar, and see your friend waiting in the corner. As you sit down, you notice that the friend is fidgety and continuously keeping an eye on the entrance. As formalities are coming to a close, he leans in and tells you a story.

Your friend isn’t known for telling embellished stories, but he tells you of a remarkable incident out on patrol which not only he himself witnessed, but higher ranking officers as well. He says he is frightened to tell you, as he is worried he will get harmed by doing so, but needs to get it off his chest. What he says is he claims to have seen a UFO. He says he saw a bright light in the forest and there was a craft, one like which he has never seen before, which hovered above the ground in a clearing next to the military base. He had observed it for some time together with his colleagues before it rose towards the sky and flew away. They did not take any photos of the incident.

Image from telegraph.co.uk

What would you personally make of this? Would you believe him based on him being a reliable friend, and also because he said he witnessed it with other people? And adding to the mix that he was frightened that he would get harmed? Or, would you assume he has lost his mind. Would you ask him for proof? Also, what is the reason you either doubt or believe him? This could apply to a regular conversation also, why do we actually believe certain stories and others not?

Are you a Mulder or a Scully?